Mumbai

The Gateway of India

Built in the Indo-saracenic style, the Gateway of India is meant to
commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to
the Darbar in Delhi in December 1911. The foundation stone was laid on
March 31, 1911 and
George Wittet's final design
sanctioned in August 1914. Between 1915 and 1919 work proceeded on
reclamations at Apollo Pier for the land on which the gateway and the new
sea wall would be built. The foundations were completed in 1920.

The Gateway is built from yellow Kharodi basalt and reinforced concrete.
The central dome is 48 feet in diameter and 83 feet above ground at its
highest point. The whole harbour front was realigned in order to come in
line with a planned esplanade which would sweep down to the centre of the
town. The cost of the construction was Rs. 21 lakhs, borne mainly by the
Government of India. For lack of funds, the approach road was never
built, and the Gateway now stands at an angle to the road leading up to it.

The construction was completed in 1924, and the Gateway opened on
December 4, 1924 by the Viceroy, Earl of Reading.

The last British troops to leave India, the First Battalion of the Somerset
Light Infantry, passed through the gate in a ceremony on February 28, 1948.